Change On Their Minds

I have a burden for the youth of my nation and it is toward their cause that my efforts are currently being directed. In the past decade, the corruption in Nigeria has grown worse, the working class has grown weary…and Nigerian youth have grown up alone.

Few positive role models.

No concerned parties to fight for monitoring of TV programming.

No one paying serious attention to the fact that more than 90 percent of our secondary school students recently failed Math and English in University entrance exams because their teachers are unpaid, their classrooms void of furniture, and their bellies empty.

Many young Nigerians have lost hope. Without proper education, they cannot get decent jobs. Even the educated are without employment. Young women are pouring into the cities from the rural outskirts to sell their bodies as a matter of survival. Young men are following the way of the nation’s corrupt leaders—the only examples of “success” they have seen in a while.

The challenges in the way of change are complex and multifaceted but I believe the biggest challenge we face is the tussle for the minds of Nigeria’s youth. Our enemy is formidable because it resides within the very people we are trying to rescue. How do we reach out to minds that have become desensitized to corruption, seared by injustice, and lulled into complacency and self-centeredness through the collective neglect of the people to whom these minds were entrusted?

Movements are internally-bred. It is pointless to attempt to sell the idea of change to a people who have become cynical of promises and schemes. No, change must be inspired from within so our youth will take ownership of their fight. It is with this in mind that about a year ago, I began an informal inquiry into the attitudes of Nigeria’s youth toward social change. I soon caught wind of an “underground” movement of youth who are fighting the odds. What is more? These young leaders are eager to inspire their peers to turn the tide in Nigeria. But they lack resources, training, exposure, and mentors who believe in their ability to make a difference.

Having identified these needs, my sisters and I recently founded Hope Youth Foundation with a vision to come alongside emerging young leaders to equip, mentor, and resource their efforts so they can take hope to their peers!

In a recent post, titled “My Voice Amplified…” a new-found PulseWire sister(Abella) likened Worldpulse to a “battle-field.” The analogy resonates with me. I joined this forum because I want to wield every weapon I have to combat the enemies that have held hostage the minds of Nigeria's youth. Through PulseWire, I intend to reach the farthest corners of the earth to find listeners for the 45 million unheard voices of the youth in Nigeria. I hope to learn from the best, receive encouragement, and give at least as much as I receive to the women I encounter along the way.